


A Bit Too Much Alike

by WandaRavenBlack



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gabriel Lives, Hunters & Hunting, Hurt, Hurt Sam Winchester, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Magic, Protective Castiel, Protective Dean Winchester, Protective Gabriel, Sick Character, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 17:14:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11925495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WandaRavenBlack/pseuds/WandaRavenBlack
Summary: Sam gets kidnapped and Dean has to find him before it's too late. Right then, a mysterious girl knocks on his door. Slowly, she makes Dean question everything he ever believed.Meanwhile, Sam is locked up with a man who seems to know a bit too much about him and his past. Who is he? And what connection does he have to Gabriel?UPDATES ON 00.00 CET BETWEEN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.





	1. I Need Your Help

Dean woke up with a start. He noticed immediately that something was wrong. It was just a little bit too quiet. A glance towards the other bed told him what woke him up. Sam’s bed was empty. He sat up and grabbed his gun. They had a strict sleeping policy. If the other one was asleep, you didn’t leave without a note. Those were the rules. Quickly, he stood up and checked the door. It wasn’t broken. The salt lines at the door and windows were untouched. Which indicated that either Sam left on his own, or he was attacked outside. But why would he go outside in the middle of the night. The library was closed. There was no night open clubs in walking distance. And a glance out through the window showed him that the Impala was still in her place outside. Sam’s duffel bag was closed and fully packed. Just like he had left it yesterday when they came to the motel. His laptop was on the nightside table. Which told Dean everything he needed to know. Sam was taken against his will. There was no way he would ever leave without his laptop. He was pulled from his thoughts by a knock on the door. With the gun pointed at the door, he slowly made his way to it and opened a little bit. When he noticed who was standing on the other side, he quickly hid his gun behind him and opened the door a bit more. There, in the pouring rain, stood a young girl. She looked to be around 15 years old. Her long hair was black. The black eyeshadow and mascara were running down her face. Her black lipstick was smudged across her chin and a bit on her cheeks. Her grey eyes were so light that they almost shone silver. She was wearing a black dress and a too big leather jacket. Her feet were bare and she was shaking slightly. 

“Yes?” 

She looked up at him. 

“Can I come in?” 

Her voice was weak and, when he looked a bit closer, he noticed the signs of a nasty cold. Quickly, he opened the door wider and the girl stepped inside, right over the salt. He closed the door behind her and made sure to keep his gun behind his back. The girl smiled softly. 

“It’s alright. You don’t have to hide it. I know you’re a hunter.” 

For a moment he just stared at her. Then he pulled the gun out from behind his back and put it on the table. 

“Who are you? And what are you doing here?” 

She tilted her head a bit. 

“My name is Beatrix. And I’m here because I heard about you. And I need your help.” 

Dean looked her up and down. He was intrigued when it came to the girl, but the big brother part in him took over when a violent shiver went through her body. 

“We’ll talk when you have showered. Turn the warm water on. I’ll find some sweatpants and a shirt that you can borrow for now. Then we’ll talk.” 

She nodded slowly and headed towards the bathroom. Before she got there, Dean quickly pulled out clean sweatpants and one of his shirts. He gave them to her and she smiled thankfully. While she was in the bathroom, Dean tried calling Sam. There was no answer. He tried Sam’s second number, but there was no answer there either. It couldn’t be Crowley. Sam wouldn’t go outside the room if it was Crowley. And the demon couldn’t cross the salt. Rowena? Maybe. But she would have to get Sam out forcefully, because there was no way he would follow her. He tried calling Cas, but there was no answer there either. Quickly, he packed Sam’s laptop and his own duffel bag and put them next to the door. Right then, the girl came out of the bathroom. Her hair was pulled back into a long braid, and her face was clean of the make up. She was ghostly pale. The shirt was hanging loosely on her thin body and she had the leather jacket wrapped around her. Dean sat down on his bed and pointed his hand to Sam’s bed. The girl went there and sat down, facing him.  

“Alright. Now talk. Where did you hear about me? And what do you want?” 

The girl took a deep breath. When she spoke up her voice was more steady. 

“You are a Winchester. Everyone who knows about the hunter life, knows about you and your brother. As to what I want…” 

She hesitated slightly before she continued. 

“My brother is a hunter. So am I. We’ve been travelling around since I can remember. A week ago, we stayed in this motel. One night, I woke up, and my brother was gone. His jacket and gun were still there and so was his bike. That was what made me suspicious. He would not go out without a fight. And he would never leave me behind. So when I heard that you came into town I knew I would ask you. But I didn’t know how to approach you. Tonight I thought that this would be the perfect night to talk to you. But where is your brother?” 

Dean sighed. 

“Sam is gone. Just like your brother.” 

He pulled out his phone again. 

“I’ve tried calling him but there is no answer. And the story is the same with him. He would never just leave without leaving a note. And he would never leave his laptop behind.” 

Beatrix nodded. Then she looked around and suddenly stood up. 

“We need to leave. Before it takes us too.” 

Dean’s hand automatically wandered over to the gun. He stood up and grabbed his jacket and the car keys. 

“Yeah. You’re right. Let’s go.” 

He grabbed his bag while the girl lifted Sam’s. Dean was a bit surprised. She was stronger that he thought she was. After all, Sam's bag wasn't exactly light. They walked out of the room and Dean quickly led her to the Impala. But, before he opened the door, Beatrix grabbed his arm and pointed towards the tires. They were all slashed.

“SON OF A BITCH!” 

The girl sighed. 

“Just wonderful. Now we'll have to walk all the way into town.” 

Dean looked at her as if she had suddenly grown a third head. 

“There is no way I'm leaving baby here.” 

He turned back to the car. 

“It's alright. I'm not leaving you.” 

Beatrix grabbed his chin and forcefully turned his head so that he was facing her again. 

“Dean Winchester! You can not be serious. We can't stay here. That's what she wants.” 

Then her voice softened as she continued. 

“I know that this car is your only real home. But your brother is in danger. He could be dying right now. If we stay here, we could get captured or killed. And we can’t help them if we are dead.” 

Dean stared at her for a moment. Then he nodded slowly and his eyes got a bit clearer. 

“I know. I don’t really know what happened with me there. Of course Sam comes before the Impala.” 

She glanced behind herself. 

“We need to go. She’s somewhere here.” 

He frowned. 

“How do you know? And why do you keep saying it’s a ‘she’. Why not a he?” 

Beatrix looked suddenly very uncomfortable. She shifted Sam’s bag a bit on her shoulder and looked around. 

“I… I just know, alright? Me and my brother were hunting that thing when we came here. I know it’s a she.” 

Dean looked at her for a long moment. Then he nodded slowly but the girl could still see the mistrust in his eyes. She wasn’t surprised. Her brother was the only person who always trusted her. She knew that other people thought she was weird and disliked her. Especially hunters. The man sighed quietly and turned his head towards the other cars. 

“We could just take one of those.” 

She shook her head. 

“No. Too big risk. She could have cursed them knowing that we could just take one of them. We’ll have to walk.” 

Dean looked inside the car, checked so that everything was alright and locked the doors. Then he opened it again and threw his bag in. 

“Leave Sam’s bag in the car. We should travel lightly now. Just a gun, some ammo and a knife.” 

The girl smiled. 

“First smart thing you’ve said.” 

She left Sam’s bag and took a step back. Dean closed the door and opened the trunk. He pulled out a knife, put it in the pocket and got out some ammunition. Then he pointed towards the trunk and motioned for the girl to come over to him. 

“Get what you need.” 

She glanced into the trunk and froze when she saw the angel blade that was in one corner. She lifted it gently and looked carefully at the handle. Suddenly, tears appeared in her eyes and her grip on the blade tightened. 

“Gabe.” 

Dean looked at her in surprise. How did she know? 


	2. Lies

Beatrix was standing completely still, staring at the blade. Dean slowly moved so that he was standing in front of her. 

“Beatrix?” 

She looked up at him. Her eyes were full of tears and she was close to crying. 

“How did you get his blade?” 

Dean hesitated. Somehow, this girl knew Gabriel. And knew him well enough to recognize his blade. Not that Dean understood how. He had seen quite many angel blades, and he never knew which one belonged to who. 

“Um… You know him?” 

The girl nodded. 

“Well… You know what? You’re a hunter. I’m not going to sugarcoat things for you. You know how life is. Gabriel is dead. He was killed by Lucifer. Me and Sam went back there and found his blade on the ground. Sam decided that we should take it and give it to Cas, since he and Gabriel were brothers. But Cas said that it would be better if we kept it. Something about him feeling calmer knowing that we had something to protect ourselves with in case some angel tried to kill us. Since then, we’ve gotten a few other blades that we use more often, and Gabriel’s blade has mostly been in the trunk.” 

She was crying now. The hand that was still holding the weapon by the blade closed so tightly that blood started to drip along the edge of it. Dean put his hand over hers. 

“Beatrix. Calm down. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you knew him.” 

She smiled softly through the tears. 

“Knew him? He practically raised me.” 

Then she made a move to put the blade back in the trunk but Dean stopped her. 

“No. Keep it. Knowing him, he would most probably want you to have it. In his own words, he’s ‘sentimental’.” 

She looked at him with big eyes, and then nodded. Dean closed the trunk and locked the car. 

“Alright. Let’s go then.” 

The girl nodded and they started to walk at a fast pace. Dean was looking around all the time, while Beatrix was just staring straight ahead. A car passed them at full speed. Two more passed, before a bus appeared behind them. Beatrix grabbed Dean’s arm to stop him, and then started to wave her arms wildly while she took a step out onto the road. Dean watched with surprise as the bus stopped and the doors opened. Beatrice took a step inside, while holding Dean’s hand. 

“Excuse me. I’m really sorry, but our car broke down. And there is no one we can call. We need to get into town. Could you take us with you?” 

Her eyes were wide open and Dean was suddenly reminded of Sam, when he was young. The kid always could get people to do whatever he wanted. The driver, an older man, glanced to Dean. Beatrix, seeing that, quickly smiled. 

“I’m really sorry for stopping you like that. But me and my uncle really need to get to the town. Our phones are dead and my father will be worried if we don’t call him. Please. We really need your help.” 

Dean was shocked by how easily the girl came up with new things. The old man didn’t seem to catch onto the lies and he nodded quickly. 

“Of course. Jump in. I have a stop close to a hotel. You can jump off there.” 

Beatrix smiled and went inside, dragging Dean along with her. He followed and saw with surprise how the girl reached into the pocket of the sweatpants she had borrowed from him. He knew that there was nothing in the pants. They were his sleeping ones. He never kept anything in them. But before she could pull her hand out, the driver shook his head. 

“No, no. You don’t need to pay, sweetheart. Just get in.” 

Beatrix raised her eyebrows and her eyes got even bigger. 

“Are you sure, sir?” 

The man smiled and nodded. 

“Yes. Of course. Just sit down.” 

She smiled back and dragged Dean to the seats at the back. The only other passengers were an old woman, sitting in the first seat, and a teenage boy with headphones on. Dean and Beatrix sat down and he looked at her with raised eyebrows. She shrugged. 

“What?” 

“You’re good at this. Especially making things up on the spot.” 

She shrugged again. 

“I was raised to be a hunter.” 

Then she turned to the window and closed her eyes. Dean wanted to ask her more, but changed his mind when he noticed how tense her shoulders were. She was curled up in the big jacket and shivers still went through her body. She was sick. He could see it clearly. And the walk they had done in the pouring rain couldn’t have been good. He needed to get her to the hotel as soon as possible. Get her into a warm bath and then into a bed. Whatever she knew, she could tell him later. He would do some research while she slept the cold off. And in that moment, he realized that he was thinking about the girl almost as if she was Sam. His little sibling that he had to take care of. On the other side, he pretty much felt that he owed it to her brother. Because, if he had the same brotherly instincts that Dean had, he would take care of Sam, wherever they were. Even though, as Dean suddenly realized, the man was most probably younger than Sam. And he got more unsure about it all. But, when he looked over to the girl, he realized that he would have to take care of her. At least until they found her brother. There was something in her that didn’t really add up for him but he wasn’t going to press her. Not now at least. Maybe when she got better. He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed the bus stopping outside the hotel. He put his hand on Beatrix’s shoulder and the girl jerked awake. 

“What?” 

He nodded his head towards the door. 

“We’re here. Come on.” 

She stood up and they quickly left the bus. Dean noticed how she pulled the jacket close around her and quickened his steps. He needed to get her inside. As soon as possible. He opened the door for her and they went inside. The woman behind the desk looked up and smiled widely when she noticed Dean. He saw how Beatrix stayed a step behind and understood the silent message. It was his turn. He smiled and walked over to the desk. 

“Hallo.” 

“Hallo. What can I help you with?” 

He sighed heavily. 

“I need a room. We are travelling around and my daughter got sick. I need to get her into a bed as soon as possible.” 

He noticed how the woman glanced down on his left hand and understood immediately. She thought he was married. He needed to come up with something. But before he managed to do that, Beatrix suddenly went closer and said with anger in her voice. 

“None of this would ever have happened if that woman didn’t kick us out!” 

Then suddenly tears appeared in her eyes and she moved closer to Dean. 

“It wasn’t my fault. I didn’t do anything.” 

The hunter, although a bit shocked by the sudden outburst, quickly caught on. He put his arm around her and hugged her. 

“Of course it wasn’t your fault. I promise. You didn’t do anything.” 

Then he turned to the shocked woman and smiled sadly. 

“Her mother found a new man and kicked us out. She got pregnant with him. We’ve been on the road ever since then. Our car broke down a bit away from here and  we had to take the bus here. As I said, Trixie caught a bad cold. We need a room. I can pay.” 

The woman quickly shook her head. 

“No, no. You don’t pay, sir. There are not many fathers as good as you. It really warms my heart.” 

She turned around and grabbed a key from the wall. Then she turned back to them and reached the key over to Dean. 

“Here. Room number 23. Second floor. Let me know if you need anything.” 

Dean smiled thankfully, turned around and started to walk towards the elevator. Inside it, Beatrix quickly took a step away from him. 

“Don’t call me that.” 

He raised his eyebrows. 

“What?” 

“Don’t call me Trixie. Only my brother gets to do that.” 

Dean felt shock once again. She was more and more like Sam. And it was unnerving. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought that Sam had gotten hit by some curse and been turned into a teenage girl. But the sadness in her eyes when she spoke about her brother wasn’t faked. He leaned against the wall and sighed. Beatrix pulled the jacket even closer to herself. 

“What now?” 

He looked at her. 

“You’re getting into a warm bath. And then into the bed. I wasn’t lying. You have a bad cold.” 

She opened her mouth to protest and he quickly cut her off. 

“No. Don’t argue with me. I’m sure your brother would say the exactly same thing.” 

That seemed to take the air out of her. She lowered her head and her eyes slipped shut again. The elevator stopped and they got out. The hallway was empty. He walked towards their room and noticed after a few seconds that the girl was not following him. As he turned around, he saw her swaying in the middle of the hall. Her eyes were still shut. A second later, she started to fall. Dean was next to her immediately. He caught her and lifted her bridal style when he noticed that she had blacked out. Putting his lips gently to her forehead told him that she had fever. She was burning up. Quickly he moved to the door to their room. He needed to get her fever down. After all, not only was she just an innocent child, she was also the only one who knew about the person who kidnapped Sam. His forehead wrinkled in concern. He hoped his little brother would hold on until he knew what to do.


	3. Powers

Sam woke up with a start. For a moment, he didn’t know where he was. His hands were in old fashioned shackles. So were his feet. His shoes were gone and so was his jacket. He moved a bit and noticed that his gun and knife were gone. So was his phone. He looked around and noticed a man in the other corner. He had a shackle on his leg. I was connected to a ring in the wall with a thick chain. His black hair was shoulder long and sticking in all possible directions. His warm brown eyes were looking at Sam with sadness. Even he lacked shoes and jacket. He looked to be around 20, 22 at most. When he spoke up, his voice was rough, almost as if the sound had to go through a bed of nails before it could get out of his mouth. 

“You alright? She knocked you out pretty good.” 

Sam frowned. The man, seeing it, sighed. 

“I’m a hunter too. I know. She’s a witch. Picked me up in the middle of the night. I’ve been here for some time. Not really sure how long. I’m Nathaniel, by the way. Nathaniel Hale.” 

“Sam Winchester.” 

The hunter raised one eyebrow. 

“That Winchester, huh?” 

Sam looked at him with surprise mixed with mistrust. Nathaniel rolled his eyes. 

“Hey. I’m not judging. What happen is behind us. You stopped the apocalypse. That’s good enough for me.” 

They sat in silence for a moment, and then he asked quietly. 

“Was your brother with you?” 

Sam nodded and the younger hunter looked suddenly very relieved. 

“Good. Then she’ll contact him.” 

“Who’ll contact him?” 

Nathaniel sighed. 

“My sister. She… Wait. First tell me how you got taken.” 

For a long moment, Sam didn’t know what to say. He didn’t really know himself. It all happened so fast. Then he started to talk, choosing his words carefully. 

“I woke up to some sounds. When I looked around, I saw a woman standing next to my bed. She smiled to me and reached out to grab my hand. I jumped off the bed and pointed my gun at her. She just smiled again and disappeared. A second later she appeared next to me. And things went black. Next thing I know, I’m here.” 

Nathaniel tilted his head. 

“You’re sure that she was next to your bed? Not your brothers?” 

Sam nodded. 

“I’m sure. She was standing over me, staring at me. Now your turn.” 

The young hunter nodded. 

“Alright. I woke up in the middle of the night sensing that something was wrong. I thought I heard my sister, Beatrix, trashing around on her bed. But, when I looked over, it wasn’t that. She was asleep and there was a woman standing over her. I grabbed my gun and shot. Trixie woke up and just stared at the woman which was odd. She is a great hunter, and her powers make her even more alert. That was why I was so surprised that she wasn’t the first one to wake up. Next thing I know, the woman disappeared. Then everything went black. From what this woman told me, Trixie is looking for me. And she is on her guard so there is no way she’ll get captured. I’m just happy that your brother is there too.” 

But Sam was hung up on something he said. 

“Powers?” 

Nathaniel nodded. 

“Beatrix is a witch.” 

For a long moment, both hunters were quiet. Then, Sam asked with disbelief: 

“You’re a hunter and you let your sister become a witch?” 

Sudden anger appeared in Nathaniel’s eyes. 

“She didn’t have a choice! She was born like that! Our father hated her for it. She made her toy’s levitate when she was in her crib. Our own mother was so scared of her that she committed suicide. Our father blamed Trixie for it ever since she was a small child. I was the only person who accepted her. One day, our father told me that he was going on a hunt and to keep an eye on her. He told me to kill her if she tried anything. So, as soon as he left, I grabbed her and ran. I was 15. She was 8. We hid from place to place. Hunted. She got better control over her power, to the point where we could easily go into a town without her losing control. By now, she is a professional. Some years ago, we got the message that our father died on a hunt. We told the hunters to just burn his body. To me, he stopped existing the same second he told me I should kill my little sister. And she didn’t even know him that well.” 

Sam was just staring at him. Nathaniel sighed and continued in a calmer voice. 

“That was why I asked whose bed she was standing over. It was clear to me that Trixie was her main target. But, as she told me, taking me was as good. Because she knows Bea will come for me. In your case, she stood over your bed. So I’m guessing you’re the one with the powers.” 

The youngest Winchester paled. 

“No. I don’t. Not anymore.” 

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. 

“You don’t have to be afraid. I won’t judge you. My sister was born with magic. I’ve pretty much seen it all.” 

But Sam just shook his head. 

“No. I don’t have it anymore. I had visions before. I could exorcise demons with my mind, but that was only after I drank demon blood. It didn’t work without it.” 

He was shocked about how easy it was to admit it to the young man. But, at the same time, the man had most probably heard many weird things in his life. And he didn’t seem to be shocked, angry or disgusted. 

“And nothing else?” 

Sam hesitated. 

“I… I used telekinesis once. But I acted on instinct then. Dean was going to get shot. I don’t even know how I did it.” 

Nathaniel smiled. 

“There you go. That’s the thing you were born with. Yellow eyed gave you the exorcising and visions. But the telekinesis was in you ever since you were born. You just never noticed it.” 

Sam frowned. 

“How can you be so sure?” 

“Because she wouldn’t have touched you if you weren’t a natural.” 

Suddenly the door slammed open and a knife came flying towards the younger man. He didn’t even flinch when it hit the wall next to his head. When the woman walked inside, he raised one eyebrow. 

“Really? You gotta do better than that if you want it to scare me. I was raised and am still living with a witch.” 

The woman just smirked and threw her long red hair back. Her green eyes were shining. 

“I think you’ve talked enough now, don’t you think?” 

He shrugged but he didn’t say anything. She smiled. 

“You learn quickly, big boy.” 

Then she turned towards  Sam. 

“Sam Winchester. You don’t realize how long I’ve been waiting for a chance to meet you. Your powers are so big. And so unused. You could be someone great, Sam. Without that brother of yours slowing you down. Join me and I’ll never hold you back.” 

Sam’s voice was filled with hate as he spat out:

“Screw you.” 

The woman smiled again. 

“I actually hoped you wouldn’t give up so easily. I would rather train you together with the girl.” 

She turned to the other man and sighed. 

“Your sister found the other Winchester. But she has not told him about her abilities. And she seems to be quite ill right now. I wonder how he’ll react when things start to fly around.” 

Then she laughed and walked out again, closing the door behind her. Sam turned his worried eyes towards the other hunter. 

“Nathaniel. I don’t want to worry you, but I have to say this. I don’t know how Dean might react when he finds out. He hates everything supernatural except for Cas.” 

Then something appeared in his eyes. 

“Cas! Why didn’t I think about it?! Um… Cas. We need some help. It doesn’t really matter whether you come to me or Dean. Just… We need your help. So…” 

“It won’t work.” 

Sam turned to the man that had interrupted him. 

“What?” 

“I said it won’t work. Prayers don’t seem to be able to get out of here. I already tried to call Gabe. And if even an archangel can’t hear us, then your friend won’t be able to.” 

Sam froze again. 

“Who?” 

For a few seconds, Nathaniel looked confused. Then he understood what he was asking about. 

“Gabe. Gabriel. He’s been keeping an eye on us ever since we ran away from home. He pretty much raised us. And he showed Bea how to control her powers. But he’s been gone for some time now. I guess he’s busy.” 

Sam sighed quietly. 

“Nathaniel. There is something you should know.” 

The man nodded to show that he was listening. 

“I… I’m sorry you have to find out this way. I really am. But… Gabriel is dead.” 


	4. A Test

The man just stared at him. He was sitting completely still. It looked as if he was holding his breath. Then, suddenly, he stood up and started to pace. The chain was dragging behind him. Sam just sat quiet. He knew that the man needed time. He himself couldn’t even imagine how he would feel if Cas died. Then, Nathaniel sat down again and took a deep breath. 

“How?” 

“He… It was pretty much our fault.” 

The younger hunter raised one eyebrow and Sam understood that he needed more information. 

“He tried to get me and Dean to say yes. We refused and told him, straight to his face, that he was a coward. And that he was too afraid to stand up to his family. It wasn’t right. I realize it now. We pretty much pushed him into the fight. He appeared and saved me, Dean and Kali from Lucifer. But he didn’t make it out of there alive.” 

Nathaniel shook his head. 

“It wasn’t your fault. Gabe would have came around eventually. He was on our side all along. On humans side. In his own, twisted way. But he was scared. He knew that, if he ever stood up to his brothers, he would not make it out alive. He would never be able to kill his brothers. Or, well, he would, but only if Bea’s life was at stake. She was his little girl. But it wasn’t your fault. You just sped up what would have happened either way.” 

Then he sighed and leaned his head against the wall. 

“Contrary to what many think, Gabe is not a bad person. Yes, he killed people, but he was just doing justice. He saved so many more innocent people. And, being in the witness protection, he had to act like Loki would, to not get hurt by anyone. The demis were on his case many times. Odin is Loki's father. It wasn’t easy to fool him. But Gabe did it. He just had to keep the game going all the time. Make sure that no one ever suspected him.” 

They sat in silence after that. Around two hours later, the woman came back. She was carrying a tray with food on it. She put it in the middle of the room and Sam noticed that it was out of reach for both of them. She then smiled to Sam and left. Nathaniel sighed. 

“Excellent. Just wonderful.” 

Then he turned towards Sam. 

“I guess you’ll have to get a grip on your telekinesis or we’ll starve.” 

And Sam understood. It was a test. He had to move the tray. 

“I can’t. Didn’t you hear me? I can’t control it. I don’t know what to do.” 

He heard himself getting panicked. Nathaniel smiled softly and started to talk with a quiet voice. It was still rough, but something in it made Sam calmer. 

“Hey. Calm down. Take it easy. Don’t feel any pressure. I won’t blame you if you can’t do it. Just breathe. I can try to help you.” 

For a moment, Sam just stared at him. On one side, he was intrigued. If he really had natural powers, nothing that had to do with yellow eyed, he wanted to try it. He wanted to be able to have an additional advantage over the monsters they were hunting. But, on the other side, he knew Dean’s hate of everything supernatural. He was scared about what would happen if he really explored his powers and Dean found out. Nathaniel, almost as if he was reading his thoughts, just gave him another smile. 

“Calm down, Sam. I know what you are thinking. Your brother will hate you. But, after all that happened with you two, I doubt he will hate you. I know that I never hated Bea. Even when everyone else was against us. It’s a big brother thing. Whatever happens, the younger sibling always comes first. Dean will not hate you.” 

For a long moment, Sam was just staring at him. Then he nodded slowly. 

“Alright. What should I do?” 

Nathaniel looked at him with raised eyebrows. Both this time. 

“You’re really sure? As I said, you don’t have to.” 

Sam nodded with determination. 

“If I have powers, I want to try to control them.” 

He really wanted that. For one, he wanted to be able to control it. Make sure that no accidents ever happened. And, with this man so accepting, he wanted to try. To see if he really could do it. Especially since he understood that he would not get judged. 

“Alright. Close your eyes.” 

Sam did it. He noticed that his other senses sharpened when he did it. Nathaniel’s voice was almost hypnotizing when he started to talk again. 

“Now, visualize the room. Don’t concentrate on me. Concentrate on the tray. You’ve got it?” 

It took him a few minutes but in the end he could see it all in front of him. He nodded slowly, keeping his focus on the tray. 

“Alright. Now imagine reaching out and grabbing the tray. No odd mind things. Just imagine your hand reaching out and grabbing the tray. Then, when you’ve got it, start pulling it towards you.” 

Sam nodded again and tried imagining reaching out to the tray. It took him a few tries but in the end, he managed to grab it. Then he started to pull. Next to the wall, Nathaniel smiled, seeing the tray moving slightly. Then he noticed how Sam’s forehead wrinkled in pain. He knew that sight too well. He still remembered his sister getting that look when she was overdoing it. Before she had complete control over her powers. 

“Sam. Sam, stop. Let go of the tray. Open your eyes.” 

Sam’s eyes snapped open at the loud voice that penetrated his thoughts. He looked over to Nathaniel. 

“What?” 

“You’re overdoing it. Your head will hurt you if you keep going. Take it slowly. You don’t need to do everything at once.” 

There was real concern in his voice and Sam nodded. He glanced over to the tray and noticed that it had moved. 

“It works?” 

Nathaniel nodded. 

“Of course it works. You have the power. You just never knew about it. And with the powers that yellow eyed gave you, you were taught to hate everything supernatural that you could do. You thought that all of your powers were evil. And the exorcising most probably was. The visions were given to you by him, so they could be classed as evil too. But the time you used your telekinesis, you did it because your brother was in danger. You did it, most probably, on instinct. But you never looked further into that later on.” 

Sam just stared at him. Then, without thinking, he said: 

“Your sister is very lucky.” 

Nathaniel’s eyebrows shot up again. Sam quickly started to explain. 

“I don’t mean it like that. Dean is a wonderful brother. I would never want anyone else as my brother. He would do anything for me, and I would do anything for him. But for your sister, you’re the perfect brother. With the way you simply accept this. Even though you are a hunter.” 

The younger hunter closed his eyes. 

“I could never hate Bea. Whatever happened.” 

Sam didn’t answer. He simply didn’t know what to say anymore. Then he closed his eyes and started to concentrate on the tray again. This time, it went easier. But he still had to stop a few times, before the tray was close enough for him to grab it with his hand. He took half of the sandwiches and one of the glasses with water. Then he slowly moved sideways towards Nathaniel. The man stood up and walked as far as he could to the side. The grabbed the tray that Sam was giving him and went back to his place, where he had the most freedom to move his shackled foot. 

“Nice work, Sammy.” 

“Only Dean gets to call me that.” 

He said it automatically and Nathaniel burst out laughing. 

“Dear Lord. You are just like Trixie.” 

Then he turned towards the food and missed therefore the smile Sam gave him. It was nice to know that there was someone who was so accepting. On the other side of the room, Nathaniel was thinking about his little sister. He knew that, when in fever, she could sometimes lose control over her power and make everything in the room fly around. She was also allergic to some of the medicine and some foods. As well as a vegetarian. He sighed as he thought about Dean Winchester taking care of his little sister. He just hoped that his brotherly instincts would win over his hate towards all supernatural beings.


	5. Emmett and Isobel

Dean sighed and leaned back against the headrest on his bed. Beatrix was asleep on the other bed. Her fever was getting worse but Dean, remembering the way Sam reacted badly to one of the medicines as a kid, didn't dare to give her anything. He sent out another prayer to Cas and hoped that the angel would come. He was startled by said angels voice a few seconds later. 

“Hello Dean.” 

He turned around to face him. 

“Cas! Finally. Where have you been?” 

Cas frowned. 

“I apologize for taking so long time. What's wrong? Where is Sam?” 

Dean pointed towards the other bed. 

“That's wrong. Can you heal her?” 

Cas tilted his head while he walked over to the girl. 

“Who is she? And where is Sam?” 

“Sam is gone. He got kidnapped. She turned up on my doorstep, saying that her brother is gone too and that she needs my help. But she got sick. Can you heal her?” 

The angel put his hand on Beatrix’ forehead. He frowned again. Seconds later, he was flying across the room. Dean flew up from his bed but he didn't get far before he too was thrown against the wall. The girl was still asleep on the bed but her forehead was a bit wrinkled. Dean slowly stood up from the floor and looked over to Cas. 

“You alright?” 

The angel nodded. 

“I’m fine.” 

Then he slowly walked over to the bed. 

“I didn’t realize that she is a natural. That combined with the grace that was left in her by some angel makes a very strong wall in her brain. It makes it harder for me to heal her. Especially when you compare it to healing you. But I might be able to access her if I try to tap into the other grace and work together with it instead of going around it.” 

And, before Dean could object to it, he put his fingers on the girls forehead again. He closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate very hard, so Dean kept quiet while he slowly went back to his bed, questions flying around in his head. A few minutes later, Cas pulled his fingers away and turned back to the man. 

“I did all I could.” 

Dean immediately started to ask questions. 

“What is she? How could she throw you across the room with such ease? What do you mean some other grace? What is a natural? How…?” 

Cas lifted his hand up, halting the hunter’s questions. He sat down on the bed next to the girl and sighed. 

“I will try to answer all your questions as well as I can. The girl is a natural. Not a witch, as you must be thinking. Or not really. Have you ever heard the tale about Emmett and Isobel?” 

Dean frowned. 

“I think dad might have mentioned them some time. But I’m not sure.” 

Cas nodded. 

“This story begins in 1865, the year they met. Emmett was a hunter from birth. His mother was pregnant while she was hunting. His father got killed by a witch so he grew up hating everything supernatural. Isobel was dragged into the hunting by her father when her mother got killed by a werewolf. They met on a hunt when he was 19 and she was 17. It was love at first sight. She was his ray of sunshine in the darkness. His happy place after hunts. They were considered the best ones out there. They married a year later and two years after their first meeting, Isobel got pregnant. Emmett was more happy than ever. He even bought them a small house and they managed to settle for a few months. But then, Isobel miscarried and Emmett blamed it all on a witch that was living in the town. He killed her, burned their house and took Isobel out onto the road again. They hunted and, after a year, Isobel got pregnant again. In the beginning, she was scared to tell Emmett, after how the first time ended. But as time went by, she started showing and couldn’t hide it from him anymore. Emmett agreed that they deserved a second chance. Once again, he got them a small house, but not before he looked through the entire village and declared that it was completely free of all supernatural beings. Isobel was in her eighth month when Emmett got news of a werewolf heading towards the village. He decided not to risk his wife and child’s lifes and went out to kill the beast before it reached their house. While he was gone, Isobel went out to the village to talk with an older woman. Said woman asked her to help her get something from the loft of her house. Isobel, even though she had some trouble moving because of her belly, agreed to help the old woman. On her way down with the box in her hands, she slipped on the ladder and fell down. She escaped without any major injuries, but the fall resulted in another miscarriage. When Emmett got back and found out, he was furious. He told everyone in the village that the woman must be an evil witch and, ignoring Isobel’s protest, had her burned on a stake. Then he, once again, burned their house and left with his wife. But, by now, Isobel had started to fear him. He got more and more ruthless. Killed even if he wasn’t completely sure that it was a monster. Many innocent people lost their lives because of him. He never raised his hand against Isobel. No, she was still his sunshine. His most beloved treasure. And then, she became pregnant a third time. This time, she was scared to death that he would find out. She did her best to hide it from him by complaining that she had too little motion and that she was getting fat. It worked for four months. But then she didn’t have a choice. She told him. But this time, it only made him more ruthless. He decided to wipe the world clean of all evil before his child was born. And so the hunt began. He killed at least two people every day. It didn’t matter to him that some of them have never even heard of the supernatural. He saw monsters everywhere. Isobel was thinking about leaving him many times. Her father was still alive and would take her in with open arms. But she knew that if she left now, Emmett wouldn’t rest until he found her. And she couldn’t put her father in such danger. So she stayed. Emmett treated her like a queen. He got her the best food, found them comfortable places to sleep, forbid her from hunting. But, after a few weeks, she got too tired. She told him that she wanted to hunt and, when he told her that it was too dangerous for the baby, she started to get suspicious. She tested out her theory by telling him that if she couldn’t hunt, she would go mad and might hurt the baby. Immediately, he found her a hunt. And she understood. She wasn’t important to him anymore. All he cared about was the baby. But still, she was too scared to just leave him. She was eight months along when they ran into a witch. She slipped them and Emmett decided that they had to go after her. Isobel was having bad feelings about it but he insisted, so she followed him. They got to the house where the witch was said to live and broke inside. But all they found was a five year old child. Emmett asked the girl if her mother was a witch. The child didn’t know that it would be dangerous to say the truth. Emmett killed her before Isobel could stop him. That was the moment her mother came back. Emmett was going to kill her when she suddenly pointed her hand at Isobel and said something in some kind of ancient language that even I don’t know anything about. Then she switched back to english and said that they could kill her but they would forever pay for killing her child. That was when Emmett killed her. Isobel was scared. She had seen the darkest side of her husband and wanted to get away. But the fear of what he would do to her made her stay. He hadn’t hurt her before but she had a feeling that she was starting to walk on thin ice. They left and a month later, she gave birth to a healthy girl. But only a few days after her birth, strange things started to happen. Her toys would levitate around her. When Emmett tried to pick her up, he was thrown across the room. After a week of this, he tried to kill the child. And that was when Isobel snapped. She killed him. Then she took her daughter and moved in with her father, who had by now settled down. He took them in and started looking for someone who could explain why his granddaughter was making things fly around her. He managed to find a witch who explained it to him and Isobel. The woman that Emmett had killed, had put a curse on the entire hunting community. Every now and then, a child would be born to a hunter. A child who was born with magic. There would be no pattern to where and when the children would be born. There would be nothing the hunters could do. But she said that she could help Isobel. She cast a suppressing charm on the child and, as a thank you, Isobel and her father let the witch go. The girl was five when she met an unknown hunter. She had by then learned to control her power a bit and wanted to be praised for what she could do. But when she showed him her power, he freaked out and killed her. Isobel died a month later, from grief. After that, children were born to hunters. Children with extraordinary powers. They were more powerful than most other beings. But, since they were born to hunters, they were often killed by their own parents or, in case their parents accepted them, by other hunters. Some of them were given to other hunters by parents who couldn’t do it themselves. Some parents stood by their children, and got killed together with them. No natural ever lived longer than 10 years. That is why I was so unprepared when her power lashed out at me. I have only met one other natural before, who was older than 10 years old. But he isn’t aware of his power. As to the grace in her. I’m not entirely sure how it works, but it seems that a very powerful angel has not only healed her before but also left a part of his grace behind in order to protect her and help her heal faster. But as it is now, the grace is mostly gone. It doesn’t heal her the same way it did before. Right now, it’s simply healing the most life-threatening wounds. But I can not see what angel gave her the grace.” 

He quieted and just looked at Dean who was staring at the girl. The angel was a bit unsure where the girl had came from, but he had felt enough of her mind to know that she was not evil. And he knew that, if it came to it, he would protect her from his friend. But Dean didn’t make any moves to attack. He just stared at the her. Suddenly, he stood up, walked over to the wall and punched it. Cas stood up slowly but Dean still didn’t make any moves to attack. Noticing his friends stance, Dean quickly lifted his hands up. 

“Hey. Cas. Take it easy. I’m not going to hurt her.” 

Cas tilted his head and the hunter sighed before he sat down again and started to explain. 

“I just thought back to when dad told me that I might have to kill Sam. If Sam had been a… a natural, I’m sure that dad wouldn’t even hesitate. And to think that there were so many children killed because they were born with powers. It’s not their fault.” 

The angel smiled softly and sat down. This was not really what he had expected, but he was glad that Dean wasn’t judging the child for something she didn’t have any control over. He turned his head towards the girls face, only to be met by a pair of glowing silver eyes. He heard Dean’s gasp and understood that the hunter had noticed it too. But the word that came out of the girls lips made them both freeze. 

“Castiel.” 


	6. Third Wheel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being a bit late. Had a rough couple of days. But the next update will be on Friday.

After finishing their meal, Sam and Nathaniel sat back and tried to relax. After a few minutes of silence, Sam turned towards the other hunter and asked quietly: 

“How come you were so alright with your sister having these powers?” 

Nathaniel closed his eyes and sighed. 

“You think that Dean will hate you, right?” 

Sam shrugged and, realizing that the man was still having his eyes closed, answered slowly: 

“It’s just… When it comes to me, Dean isn’t as accepting about powers. Not anymore at least.” 

Brown eyes turned to him. 

“What do you mean?” 

Sam looked away and leaned his head against the wall. 

“I used to have visions in the beginning. Before it all went to hell. Quite literally. Back then, Dean was supportive of me. I mean, sure, he thought it was freaky. He didn’t actually like that I had visions. But he was there for me. He took care of me, even though I had powers. He told me, again and again, that I would not become evil only because I was different. Then the whole demon blood part came. And I understand why he didn’t like it. I didn’t like it either. But I noticed, afterwards, that whenever I tried to bring those visions up, he would snap at me and then get drunk. So I stopped to bring it up. I did my best to ignore it. I took his bitching about the times I had headache and trouble sleeping. It was better than seeing him in fear. Better than seeing him hating me.” 

Nathaniel lifted his hand up. He was frowning. 

“Wait a second. You’re still having visions?” 

Sam hesitated, before he nodded. 

“Yeah. Sometimes. But it’s different than it was before. Back then, it was about yellow eyes and the children that he had chosen. Now it’s about everything. Bad and good. It still hurts, but I’ve gotten better at hiding it. The bad ones are the worst thing because I can’t always convince Dean to go to some city where something bad will happen. I can’t save everyone. Even when I should. I have the possibility. But I’m too scared of what Dean will say if I tell him about the visions.” 

Now it was his time to close his eyes. He didn’t know why he was telling all this. Somehow, he knew that he could trust this man. And he had to admit that it was nice to be able to tell someone about this without having to be afraid of the reaction. Nathaniel was frowning even more. He couldn’t understand this. He remembered the first time he saw Bea’s toys levitate. He had been just eight years old. And he didn’t hate his sister for it. He remembered walking into the hotel room with his father and seeing his mother hanging from the ceiling. His father had told him to leave, but he couldn’t. Bea was crying and he had to help her. He remembered walking further into the room, picking her up and leaving. His father had been crazy with grief after that. He started to take his anger out on Bea. He yelled at her and never acted nicely. But that was still acceptable. Beatrix was five when he started to hit her. And Nathaniel couldn’t stand it. He found himself explaining to his little sister that she had to stop using her powers around their father. Every thing she accidentally broke, he took the blame for. He did extra chores, cleaned his father’s weapons, cooked. All to keep the man happy. But even that wasn’t always enough. He remembered the day they ran. Meeting Gabriel. The angel had been like a blessing. He showed Bea how to control her powers and had no trouble posing as their father whenever anyone asked to talk with their parents. He gave them a better childhood than they could have imagined. But even if Gabe hadn’t showed up, Nathaniel couldn’t imagine ever hating his sister. Even if it turned out that she was evil. He couldn’t imagine fearing her. Leaving her. He glanced over to Sam. He couldn’t understand how his brother could ever hate him. There was something about him that made it hard to hate him. Like Bea. He just had something in him that made him easy to like. Slowly, choosing his words carefully, he started to talk. 

“Look, Sam. I can’t speak for your brother. I don’t know how he is looking at all of this. I would love to be able to say that everything will be alright, but I can’t. It’s just too messed up. All I can tell you is that I know how I would act if I was your brother. And I would never leave you. But, there is something I can tell you for sure. Even if Dean starts to avoid you, Castiel will stand by your side.” 

Sam’s eyes snapped open. 

“How do you know?” 

“Because Gabe never left. Because he understood that there is nothing wrong with Bea. Angels never had problems with naturals. They understood that they had no choice. That they weren’t evil. You won’t lose him, Sam. Whatever happens.” 

But Sam just shook his head. 

“I will. You don’t understand it. Cas likes Dean more. He said it himself. They share a more profound bond. I’m just a third wheel. I’m sure that, if it came to me and Dean going in two directions, he would follow Dean. Not me. He doesn’t like me. I’m just the boy with the demon blood. I mean, yeah, he told me that his view of me has changed, but I’m still not sure.” 

Nathaniel looked away from the man. He didn’t know what to say. This man seemed to think the worst things about himself. And it seemed that there was nothing that he could say that could change his mind. 

“Sam.” 

The other hunter made a sound to confirm that he was listening. 

“If you tell Dean, and he decides that you need to split up, you are welcome to come with me and Bea.” 

Sam looked at him with shock. He had not been expecting that. But he knew that he couldn’t agree to that. 

“I can’t. I couldn’t.” 

Nathaniel just nodded. 

“I know. But if. You have that choice.” 

Then he moved around to lay down and closed his eyes. 

“I’m going to try to sleep. And I recommend you to do the same. She won’t hurt you while you sleep. I’ve been here for some time now, and I’m still alive. And you will need all the energy you can for when our siblings come to get us out.” 

He quieted, and just seconds later, his breath evened out. Sam was shocked by how quickly he fell asleep. Sure, him and Dean could just crash onto a bed and be asleep in seconds, but it usually was after a hunt or after a very long night of research. Nathaniel seemed to just fall asleep on the spot. He moved around until he could rest comfortably with the shackles and closed his eyes. He was feeling very uneasy and ended up thinking about what Nathaniel had said. He remembered reading the tale of Emmett and Isobel in his father’s journal. At the time, he had found it odd that his father, a hunter who didn’t believe in tales, had written down a tragic love story in his journal. But now, he realized why it had happened. His father must’ve suspected that he was a natural. But then the yellow eyed had came out to play and the suspicions were dropped. He wondered how things would have been if his father had raised him, thinking that he was a natural. Would his childhood had been different? Would his relationship with Dean had been different? Would Dean have hated him from their childhood? Or would he have accepted him, like Nathaniel accepted Beatrix? With those thoughts in mind, he fell asleep. As soon as his breath evened out, Nathaniel’s eyes opened. He sat up, looked at the other hunter with sadness and sent out a quick prayer to Castiel. He knew that he had no real connection to that angel but he hoped that his prayers would go through. They needed to get out of there. Especially Sam. After giving the door a furious glare, he laid down again and fell asleep, for real this time. 


	7. It Will Be Alright

Cas tilted his head slightly and said in a calm voice: 

“Hallo.” 

Beatrix slowly sat up. She glanced over to Dean. There was fear in her eyes and Dean didn’t understand it. Even if she thought that they would hurt her, he had just seen her throw an angel across the room. What was she scared of? He smiled gently. 

“It’s alright. We won’t hurt you.” 

She frowned. 

“I’m a freak.” 

Cas’ eyes widened, whiled Dean shook his head. 

“No. You’re a natural. You have no control over it. And we will not hurt you because of what you can do. You are safe here. Trust me.” 

She nodded slowly. There was still something in her eyes that told them that she was apprehensive, but she seemed to be a bit calmer. Dean leaned forward a bit but made sure to keep some distance between himself and the girl. He understood that she was a bit scared and didn’t want to crowd her. 

“Bea. Can you tell me exactly what happened the night your brother was taken?” 

The girl seemed to hesitate for a minute, but then she nodded and started to talk. 

“My powers make me more alert to things around me. I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a woman standing over my bed. She was just standing there, staring at me. And, usually, I have no problems acting quickly. But I just couldn’t move. Then, suddenly, Nate woke up and pulled his gun out. He pointed it at the woman and she just disappeared. But, before we managed to even say something, she appeared next to Nate, grabbed him and they both disappeared. I tried to track them in different ways. First I just tried to follow the path that her magic had left, but something blocked me. And there isn’t much that could do that to me. I tried to simply trace her the normal way, through research and asking around, but no one had seen her before. Then, I figured that I would have to do it in a more unconventional way. I found a witches group and decided to join them just to see if I could find anything. That’s why I looked like I did when I came to you. I didn’t find anything. I was going to call Gabe, but then I heard that there was someone in town, asking around about a suspicious death. I looked into it and found out that it was the Winchesters. So I decided to contact you.” 

Dean leaned back again and sighed. He was even more worried about Sam now. Cas frowned slightly. 

“How did you know my name?” 

Beatrix smiled a bit. 

“Gabe told me about you. About how you gave up everything for the Winchesters. You were his favorite brother, you know. He was a bit sad sometimes because he felt as if he didn’t show you that often enough. He really loved you.” 

Cas seemed a bit shocked, but then he smiled. 

“Thank you.” 

Dean snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head. 

“I still can’t wrap my brain around it. Why did she target you and Sam? Because I’m going to assume that you were the original target and not your brother. I mean, you and Sam have nothing in common. Sure, you are quite alike in character but other than that, there is nothing. And, even if there were any connections, why did she kidnap our siblings? It just doesn't make sense. If she is a witch then she should want us away from here. Kidnapping people close to us will just make us stay.” 

They sat in silence for a few seconds. Then, Cas took a deep breath and looked Dean straight in the eyes. 

“Dean. There is something you need to know. Some witches are looking for power from naturals. They either drain them, or they try to brainwash them into following them. They will stop at nothing.” 

Dean frowned. 

“It still doesn’t make sense. Why would she take Sa…” 

He stopped in the middle of the word and closed his eyes. 

“No.” 

Cas nodded. 

“Remember when I told you that I know only one other natural that lived past the 10th birthday? But that he doesn’t know about his powers.” 

Dean took a deep breath and nodded slowly. He had a feeling where this was going. 

“Well. The other natural I know, is Sam. In the beginning, I thought that the power I felt from him was caused by the demon blood. But then, he stopped drinking it and the power was still there. I tried to look into it from every other point but there is nothing else I could think of. Sam is a natural.” 

Dean opened his eyes. There was something unreadable in them. 

“He kept that away from me.” 

Cas frowned. 

“What do you mean? Sam doesn’t know about that.” 

The hunter shook his head quickly. 

“Not that. I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t have any idea about his powers. But what I do know is that he is having visions again. And I was too stupid to notice it. All the headaches, him insisting that we just had to go somewhere. His nightmares coming back occasionally. It’s just like it was back then. And I was just ignoring all the signs.” 

Beatrix got out of the bed and slowly went over to Dean. She sat down next to him and leaned against him. 

“It’s not your fault, Dean.” 

Dean was slightly shocked that she came so close to him, but he felt that he should say what he was thinking about. 

“No. You don’t  understand it. Back when we were younger, Sam would tell me everything. He had visions before. And, he was telling me about them. But with time, I feel like the communication between us have gotten worse.” 

It was quiet for a long moment. Then Cas suddenly frowned and tilted his head. He looked concentrated for a long moment. His eyes moved from Dean to Beatrix, before he shook his head and relaxed slightly. Dean was looking at him with worry. 

“Cas? Are you alright?” 

The angel nodded. 

“Yes. I… I just got a prayer.” 

He sounded genuinely surprised. Dean frowned. 

“Why are you so surprised?” 

“Because, ever since I gave up everything for you, I haven’t really gotten any prayers directed at me. But this one was directly aimed at me. And it was about Sam.” 

Dean sat up straight. 

“Sam?” 

“Yes. It came from someone named Nathaniel Hale. He said that he isn’t sure if I can hear him, but he is in a cellar with Sam and they really need to get out. Sam has managed to use his powers once to move the tray with food closer to them, but other than that, he needs more time before he will be able to do anything bigger. And he can’t get them out. He also said that Sam is scared of telling Dean about his powers and the visions because he is scared that Dean will hate him. And he told me to keep an eye on Beatrix.” 

Bea smiled, while Dean looked both sad and guilty. The girl, noticing it, grabbed his wrist and squeezed it. 

“We’ll find them.” 

Cas nodded. 

“We will. I might have an idea.” 

Two pair of eyes turned to him, one green, one grey. 

“I can’t find Sam, because of the wardings that I put on him. But, I can try to find Nathaniel through the prayer he sent to me.” 

Dean nodded. 

“Alright. But be careful. If you can find them, do it but don’t go in by yourself. Without you, I’m not sure if we’ll be able to do this.” 

Cas smiled and disappeared. Dean turned to Beatrix. She smiled at him. 

“It will be alright.” 


	8. You Are Forgetting Who I Am

A pair of golden eyes looked around the bar. The man slowly went up to one of the tables. There was a woman there. She looked up at him and smiled. 

“Hello there.” 

He just nodded. His face was serious and she understood quickly that he didn’t have time for small talk.

“I have the address you wanted. He wasn’t easy to find.” 

She gave him a piece of paper. He nodded and a small smile appeared on his face. 

“Thanks. Go buy a drink for yourself.” 

He put a couple hundred dollar bills on the table and quickly left the bar again. The woman picked the money up and smiled. It was always worth working with him. On the street, the man looked down onto the paper he was holding. A mansion. Of course he would live in a mansion. He dropped the paper and it burst into flames. His hands curled into fists and he frowned. All his instincts told him to take the long way, but he knew that he couldn’t. There was no time. Very slowly and carefully, he spread his wings out. Their gray colour blended into the dark alley that he was standing in. He glanced to the sides, before he lifted off the ground. Somewhere in the distance, thunder sounded and all his muscles tensed. But then he forced himself to relax. They didn’t know. Every angel that could hurt him, was either dead or held in the cage. Still, he flew low. Another thunder started to the right of him and he understood. They were rounding in on him. He had two choices. Either he would continue and risk getting caught, or he would land. But he had heard those prayers. They were desperate. He focused and forced his wings to move faster. But then he changed his course. He was powerful but there was no way he would be able to face them all at the same time. So he did the only thing that his crazy brain told him to do. He flew straight into the storm. They were shocked. He noticed a few familiar faces, but didn’t even stop to really look at them. He used the speed he had gained to smash straight into one of them. The woman was thrown into the air. Quickly, without losing any of his speed, he turned around and charged towards one of the younger ones. He hoped that the angel would think that he had a sword and flee. And he was right. The young angel dove towards the earth and the man managed to make another turn in the air, only to feel a powerful hit right as he was turning. Thunder smashed in the distance and he felt that he was falling. Quickly he remembered that one time when they were playing cloud diving. He pulled his wings close to his body and went into a dive. Three of the other angels followed him into the risky maneuver. Thirty meters, twenty, fifteen. Two of the angels changed their paths and flew up again. One young girl was still following him. Ten, five. Three meters over the ground, he quickly opened his wings and hit with them while he swung his entire body around. His toes touched the ground before he shot up into the air again. The girl wasn’t that lucky. She hit the ground, sliding a good ten meters before she stopped. Her wings were still around her and her head was twisted in a very unnatural way. He just hoped that the girl had been dead before the angel took her as a vessel. He shot up and was soon surrounded by the remaining three angels. He needed to get them one on one. He started to make loops and dives. It felt good to be flying around again. Feeling the wind around him. He stopped suddenly and just hovered. Two of the angels didn’t manage to stop in time. They flew straight past him. The third stopped and drew her blade. Right then, a fourth angel appeared. He put his hand up and boomed:

“Stop!” 

Thunder hit again, much closer. He flew closer to the man and frowned. 

“Why are you doing this?” 

The man looked at him with anger. 

“My family is in danger. I need you to get out of my way.” 

One of the women shouted in anger: 

“We are your family!” 

But he just shook his head. 

“As a wise man once said: Family don’t end with blood. And my family isn’t blood.” 

Then he frowned and added quietly: 

“Well, except for one.” 

The other angels came closer to him, swords drawn. 

“You won’t leave. We won’t let you.” 

And that made him snap. He pulled himself up and lifted his chin. His wings spread and, for the first time, the others saw the golden feathers that had been hidden under the grey ones. His golden eyes started to glow. 

“You won’t let me? I think you are forgetting who I am.” 

His voice was calm but dangerous. The angels around him moved away a bit, but didn’t put the swords away. He let his power spread around him and the wind picked up. The newcomer looked a bit nervous. 

“I’m Gabriel! Do not stand in my way!” 

He let his power shoot out towards the man. It shot him straight in the chest and he started falling. But Gabriel didn’t care anymore. The only thing he had in mind was the prayer. Bea’s desperate plea. But he couldn’t find them. Not anymore. He had to find the one who could. The other three angels, seeing their leader fall out of the sky, backed  off and Gabriel took off again. This time he didn’t care about hiding. It must’ve spread through the angel radio already that he was back. Anyone who was tuned in to it would know. It wasn’t about stealth now. It was about speed. And he was the fastest in all heaven. He was the messenger after all. He thought about the address. If he lived in the mansion, why didn’t he do anything? Because, if Gabriel got the prayer, then he must’ve too. He thought about the angel he had trusted his family with. He still remembered it. Shortly before he went to face the demis and his brother. He knew that the chance of surviving was very small. So he found a new guardian angel for Bea and Nate. The only angel who he trusted enough to take care of them. And then he went off. And died. Once he came back, and he still didn’t understand how that was possible, he tried to find them. But Bea and Nate were gone. Hidden by the other angels grace. And he couldn’t just take the guardianship over. The other angel had to give it up to him. But to tell him to do that, he needed to find him. And that had proved to be challenging. The angel was almost impossible to find. But he had managed to do it. Now he just needed to get to him. Seconds later, he landed in front of a big mansion. Quickly, he walked to the door and pushed it open, using most probably too much force, since it flew off its hinges. A second later an angel with dirty blonde hair was standing in front of him. 

“Gabriel. That’s a surprise. I heard you were dead.” 

Gabriel took a threatening step towards the man. 

“Don’t try, Balthazar. Why didn’t you answer Bea’s prayer?” 

Balthazar tilted his head slightly. 

“She prayed?” 

The Archangel’s hands tightened into fists but he stayed relatively calm. He needed this man to get to his family. Balthazar, noticing his reaction, put his hands up. 

“Whoa! Take it easy. It’s not how you think it is. I got killed too. Dad seems to have brought me back, but I haven’t been able to connect with either Bea or Nate since I came back. You know how it works. Once an angel dies, their guardianship is transferred over to someone else. But, in their case, I took a precaution. After I started dealing with the Winchesters, I knew that I could die any day. So I made a declaration that would put them without a guardian until they themselves accepted someone. Ever since I came back, I’ve been cut off from the angel radio and I don’t hear any prayers from either Bea or Nate.” 

Gabriel slowly let a breath out. This wasn’t what he had expected. 

“You can’t find out if they chose someone?” 

Balthazar frowned. 

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question? After all, you seem to still hear Bea’s prayers.” 

Gabriel shook his head. 

“It’s not like that. I hear them because there is a part of my grace in her from when I healed her after she nearly died. I’m guessing that that’s the only reason I can still get something from her. In the last one, she mentioned something about the Winchesters. But they have wardings on them so I can’t track her that way either.” 

They stood in silence for a moment, before Balthazar suddenly smiled. 

“I may have an idea who they might have chosen. Who they would trust enough. Especially since we know they met the Winchesters.” 

Blue eyes met golden and both angels said at the same time: 

“Cas.” 


	9. I Won't Hurt You

Cas had came back for just a few minutes. He told them that he had fixed the Impala and left her outside the hotel. Then he disappeared again. So, without anything other to do, Dean decided to take Bea out to buy her some clothes. But, as soon as he said it, he was met by a furious glare. 

“I’m not poor. I have clothes. Don’t think that I’m…” 

Dean raised his hands up in the air. 

“Hey. Calm down. That’s not what I meant. If you want to go to where your clothes are, we can do that. I just thought that you might want to get something new.” 

She calmed down a bit. 

“You can take me there?” 

Dean nodded. 

“Yeah. Grab your ja… um. Your brothers jacket, and let’s go.” 

He pulled on his own jacket and grabbed the keys. Slowly, Beatrix got out of the bed and frowned. 

“You’re different than I thought you would be.” 

Dean stopped his quest of finding the right credit card and glanced over to her. She hesitated. 

“It’s just… You are said to be a hunter who does not accept anything supernatural. I didn’t think you would be okay with his. I thought you would hate me.” 

Dean walked over to her and made eye contact. 

“Listen, Bea. I don’t hate you. Yes, I have a low tolerance for everything supernatural other than Cas. But I have done things that made me realize that maybe not everything supernatural is wrong. And I don’t want you to be scared of me. I won’t hurt you. And I won’t hurt my brother. I said it to Cas, and I’ll say it to you. You have no control over it. It wasn’t your choice to become natural. You were born like this.” 

Then he shivered slowly and grinned. 

“Alright. Enough of this chick flick moment. Let’s go.” 

A second before he turned away from her, Bea ran forward and hugged him. Shocked, he hugged her back and had a sudden flashback to that 4th of July when he and Sam shot the fireworks. 

“Alright. We’re good. Let’s go before I turn into a woman.” 

She laughed and punched his arm. 

“Jerk.” 

“Bitch.” 

She smirked and grabbed the too big jacket. 

“Let’s go. I can’t wait til I can get into some clothes that fit me a bit better.” 

They left the room and walked into the elevator. Dean frowned. 

“What are we going to tell that woman? Just so that we are on the same page once she starts asking.” 

Beatrix smiled softly. 

“She won’t even know we are leaving.” 

The hunter frowned. Seeing that, she explained calmly: 

“I wasn’t trained by Gabe for nothing. He might be the original trickster, but I’m not far behind.” 

The elevator stopped and they stepped outside. Dean noticed that Bea looked concentrated but other than that, there was no change. They passed the woman who didn’t even look up. As soon as they left the hotel, Dean turned to the girl. She smirked. 

“I made us invisible. It’s one of the harder ones to do, but I haven’t seen any of the other hotel guests and couldn’t make us look like them. Are you feeling alright? No nausea? Headache?” 

Dean shook his head and then shrugged. 

“Nah. I think I’m pretty used to all of this after all the times Cas zapped me around.” 

For a moment she just looked straight ahead. Then she suddenly turned towards him and asked quietly: 

“What would you do if Cas died?” 

Dean felt a stab of pain. He remembered all the times they had lost Cas. The pain and sorrow they felt. Then he looked at the girl and realized why she was asking. 

“You still miss him, right?” 

She nodded slowly. Yes, she missed Gabriel. Every single day. 

“Not only him. Shortly before Gabe died, he passed over the guardianship onto another angel. Just so that he didn’t need to worry in case something happened to him. Balthazar started to travel with us when Gabe suddenly disappeared. He told us that he didn’t know where Gabriel was but that he had been given the responsibility to watch over us. He became a part of the family. Until he disappeared one day. But before he went, he told us that in case anything ever happened to him, he would put us in some sort of in between. Make it so that no angel could take guardianship over us, until we chose him or her.” 

“And did you chose someone?” 

She shook her head. 

“No. Why would we? Balth is somewhere out there. He will come back to us. But, for some reason he can’t right now.” 

Dean cursed silently. Why did he have to be the one to deliver those news again? Why couldn’t Sam be here to do it? He had always been better at that.

“Bea. Balthazar is dead.” 

Her eyes widened. For some reason, that hurt even more than the fact that Gabriel was dead. She swayed and tears appeared in her eyes. 

“I…” 

And she broke down. Dean stood there next to the crying girl, not really knowing what to do. Gently, he pulled her into a hug. She clung to his shirt as realization hit her. Gabe was dead. Balthazar was dead. Nate was gone. He was the only one she had left. And if they failed at getting him back, she would be alone. Dean hugged her tightly. 

“Calm down, Bea. We’ll find your brother. And…” 

He hesitated for a second. 

“And if something goes wrong, you can stay with us. Me, Sam and Cas.” 

Slowly, she calmed down. Dean stepped away from her and smiled in a way that he hoped was reassuring. She sighed softly. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what got over me.” 

Dean just nodded. He had no idea how to deal with people feeling sad. Especially if those people were teenagers. Beatrix took a deep breath and turned towards the parking lot. 

“Let’s go then. Cas said that he had fixed the car.” 

Quickly they got into the car and Dean sighed out in relief when he saw that everything was in order. He put the key in the ignition and hesitated. Bea raised her eyebrows when she saw him glance at her. 

“What?” 

Dean frowned slightly. 

“I know Cas said that he fixed everything, but do you think that you could check her over? Just so that there isn’t any mojo in her.” 

Bea seemed surprised by the request, but nodded and her eyes flashed silver. She smiled. 

“Nothing. There are no traces left of whatever she did.” 

“Alright. Let’s go.” 

He turned the key and smiled when he heard the low purr of the engine. Beatrix opened the window and put a hand out. Dean smiled softly when he saw it. She looked calm. He sent out a quick prayer to Cas, telling him where they were going. Then, hesitantly, he sent out a prayer to Gabriel. He didn’t know why he did it, but it wouldn’t be the first time the angel had faked his own death. But, if he was alive, why hadn’t he contacted anyone? He mentally shrugged to himself. He never understood the angel and he doubted that he ever would.  


	10. Guardian

Gabriel and Balthazar were flying towards the place where they had located Castiel, when the archangel suddenly stopped mid air. Balthazar, who had never been the quickest, caught on to what was happening first when he had flown another two kilometers. He turned around and shot back to the archangel. Gabriel was just hovering in the air, a shocked expression on his face. Balthazar stopped next to him. 

“What?” 

But Gabriel just shook his head. He frowned and looked up and around him, before he turned back to Balthazar. 

“Call me crazy, but I just got a prayer from Dean.” 

The other angel felt shock and disbelief. 

“Dean? As in Dean Winchester?” 

Gabriel nodded. 

“Yeah.” 

“Well?” 

For a moment, the archangel was quiet. Then he answered slowly. 

“He said where they are heading and that Bea is with him. She is fine. He knows about her powers and doesn’t have any problems with it.” 

They looked at each other with similar expressions. Disbelief. It was Dean Winchester they were talking about. 

“We need to get to them. Even if what he’s saying is true, I will feel better once I have Bea by my side.” 

They started to fly again. Gabriel was slowing himself down, to keep the same speed as the other angel. They flew in silence for around two minutes before they reached a small town. Gabriel stopped and landed on the ground. Balthazar followed his lead. 

“You do realize that they think we are dead, right?” 

Gabriel nodded. 

“So?” 

“So, maybe we shouldn’t just barge in there. Even if Bea didn’t know about it before, I’m more than certain that Dean told her.” 

The archangel shrugged. 

“So what? They think we are dead. They will be in shock. Dean might try to shoot us.” 

And he started walking. Balthazar sighed. He had never really understood human feelings, but what he knew was that just barging in on the two hunters was not a good idea. But he followed. What else was he supposed to do? Gabriel looked at the parking lot in front of the motel and smiled when he saw the Impala next to Nate’s bike. He looked at the doors closest to the vehicles and concentrated. Seconds later, he was walking towards nr 14 where he had felt wardings against demons. He snapped his fingers to unlock the door and simply walked inside, with Balthazar right behind him. Two shots rang out and he ducked, letting them hit Balthazar in the chest. The angel sighed with irritation. 

“Very mature.” 

Seconds later, Gabriel had his arms full of a teenage girl. He hugged her tightly and smirked at Dean. 

“Thanks for your prayer. Helped me pin down your location.” 

Then he looked down at Bea. 

“Trixie, I missed you too, but you are getting my shirt wet.” 

She looked up at him. Tears were falling from her eyes and he smiled softly. 

“It’s alright. I’m alive. We both are.” 

That shifted her attention from him to the other angel. Balthazar quickly healed himself before he opened his arms. Bea rushed towards him and hugged him tightly. Meanwhile, Dean sent out a quick prayer to Cas. It took less than ten seconds before the angel appeared next to him. 

“You called, Dea…” 

He cut himself off and froze completely. Gabriel grinned. 

“Hey Cassie.” 

Cas looked from him to Balthazar and back. 

“How?” 

The archangel shrugged. 

“No idea. Guess that Dad has something planned for us.” 

“But how did you find us?” 

“I prayed to him. I didn’t think it would work. Hell, I thought he was dead.” 

Cas nodded. By that time, Bea had calmed down and sat down on the bed. Dean sat down next to her, with a frown on his face. 

“There is something that doesn’t make sense here.” 

Cas sat down next to him, forcing Gabriel and Balthazar to sit together on the second bed. 

“You got my prayer. How come you didn’t get Bea’s or her brothers. Because I’m going to make a wild guess and say that he most probably prayed to you.” 

Next to him, Bea nodded. Gabriel sighed. 

“I got Bea’s prayers, but I couldn’t pin down her location. I’m not Nate’s guardian anymore, so that could explain why his prayers didn’t come through. Or maybe the place where he is, is so heavily guarded that no prayers can get out.” 

Cas shook his head. 

“No. That can’t be the case. I got a prayer from him.” 

Dean nodded. 

“Which brings us to another point. I know Sam. And I know that he would pray to Cas if anything happened to him. So why didn’t his prayer get through? Especially if he is a… a natural. Shouldn’t he be stronger than a simple human?” 

Gabriel’s eyes widened. 

“What did you just say?” 

Cas tilted his head. 

“You didn’t know?” 

Gabriel shook his head. 

“No. How is that even possible? He has demon blood in him. He’s not a natural.” 

Cas looked almost offended but, before he could say anything, Dean spoke up. 

“Look. You’ve met us only a few times. Cas is with us all the time. So I am more inclined to trust Cas on this one than you.” 

Balthazar raised his eyebrows. 

“You are not like you were back when we last met.” 

Dean frowned and his hand twitched towards the gun. 

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Nothing bad.” 

Dean just shook his head at the angel and turned to Gabriel. 

“Any ideas?” 

The archangel shook his head, hesitated, and then nodded. 

“Yeah. I might have one.” 

He sighed, before he continued. 

“After Balthazar died, Nate and Bea were left alone. No guardian. Until they chose someone. My guess is that Nate chose Cas, maybe without even realizing it. The bond between a human and his guardian is stronger than anything else. Even if there are wardings in place, the prayers can’t be stopped.” 

Both Dean and Cas were visibly shocked. 

“I’m not Sam’s guardian?” 

Dean nodded slowly. The same question was running through his head. Balthazar shook his head. 

“No. You are Dean’s. But not Sam’s.” 

Dean felt sudden irritation. 

“If it isn’t Cas, then who is it? And why has he not stepped forwards and helped us? Sam went through HELL. Where was his guardian then?” 

“You know what, Winchester? Not every angel is emotionally involved with you and your brother. Not every angel is ready to give their lives for you. Have you thought about that? You aren’t the centre of the universe. And maybe the angel didn’t want to get caught up in the mess that you created and would rather watch from the sidelines.” 

Cas was looking between his old friend and Dean when, suddenly, realization appeared in his eyes. 

“You.” 

“What?” 

“You are Sam’s guardian?” 

Everyone turned towards Balthazar. The angel sighed. 

“Yes. I took on that role. But not out of the goodness of my heart.” 

Dean was now holding the gun. 

“Then why?” 

“Because fallen angels are angels too.” 

Gabriel groaned. 

“No freaking way.” 

Bea tilted her head. 

“What?” 

Dean was now glaring at the archangel. Gabriel shook his head. 

“Sam has really rotten luck.” 

Understanding appeared in Bea’s eyes and she let her head fall into her hands. Dean and Cas looked at each other in confusion before they both turned towards Gabriel. The archangel, seeing that, took a deep breath and said just one word. 

“Luci.” 

Cas’ eyes widened, while Dean suddenly looked very tired. 

“Why can’t this world give him a break?” 

Balthazar shrugged. 

“Don’t know. But I hope that you understand now why I took on the role. There was no way I was going to let him be anywhere close to his true vessel.” 

Dean nodded. Bea, noticing the way his hand was still closed around the gun handle, put her own hand on his. He glanced over to her and relaxed. Gabriel frowned slightly seeing that. This was Dean Winchester. How could he be so calm around a natural? Cas, who had been thinking about something very hard, suddenly stood up and walked over to Balthazar, putting his hand out. Balthazar frowned. Next to him, Gabriel smiled softly. 

“Give it to me.” 

The angel tilted his head. 

“Give you what, Cas?” 

“The guardianship over Sam. You don’t want it. I do. Sam is my family.” 

Balthazar sighed quietly before he grabbed Cas’ hand. A gold glow spread around them and when it disappeared Balthazar nodded towards Bea. 

“It was nice to see you again, Bea. But I’ll be leaving now.” 

And he disappeared. Dean turned towards Gabriel. 

“You gonna bail on us too?” 

The archangel rolled his eyes. 

“Nope. But I would like to get something of mine back.” 

He put his hand out to Cas and the angel grabbed his hand without hesitation. The gold glow appeared again and Gabriel sighed in relief. 

“Feels so much better now.” 

Bea smiled. She had felt the shift too. Cas frowned slightly. Dean looked at him with worry. 

“Cas?” 

The angel frowned even more and tilted his head. 

“It’s Sam. He’s praying. All the time. I don’t think he even realizes that he is doing that. But it might help me get to the place where he is.” 

And he disappeared. Dean looked over to Bea. She smiled and turned to Gabriel. 

“I’ve missed you.” 

Dean stood up suddenly. He felt that he was intruding on something. 

“I’ll go get us something to eat. Bea? What do you want?” 

“Something vegetarian and lactose free.” 

“Alright. Gabriel?” 

“Something with much sugar.” 

Both hunters rolled their eyes, before Dean grabbed his jacket, the keys to the Impala, and left.

 


	11. Guardian Angel

Sam woke up with a start when he felt some kind of odd shift around him. He looked around with wide eyes. Nathaniel was still sleeping. He looked extremely worried, even in his sleep, and Sam was reminded of Dean. He looked towards the door and concentrated on it. On making it open. But all he managed to do was get a headache. So, instead, he started thinking about the shift he had felt. It wasn’t anything he had ever felt before. And nothing he could think of could explain it. In the end, he sighed and turned towards the other hunter. 

“Nathaniel.” 

The man’s eyes snapped open immediately. He sat up slowly and stretched his arms over his head. 

“Yeah?” 

His voice was even rougher so soon after sleeping.

“I… There was this odd shift in the air here. Has it happened before?”

Nathaniel looked around with a frown. 

“No. What was it like?” 

Sam thought back to it. 

“It’s…” 

Suddenly, Nathaniel’s eyes widened and he lifted his hand up. 

“I got it too, now. And I know what it is. An angel is taking over the guardianship over you from another one. But that doesn’t make sense. Why would Balthazar give up the guardianship over me?” 

Sam let his head fall against the wall. 

“Damn. Why do I have to…” 

He cut himself off, but Nathaniel had understood. 

“He’s dead too, right?” 

Sam nodded. 

“Well, that doesn’t make any sense either. If Balthazar is dead, then we don’t have any guardian. Not until we choose one. But I don’t believe we have… Oh. Well, now I’m just confused.” 

Sam was just staring at him. He didn’t understand anything. 

“Can you explain this to me?” 

Nathaniel snapped out of his thoughts. 

“Yeah. Sorry. I prayed to Castiel yesterday. For some odd reason, it must’ve been seen as if I chose him. But now, he gave the guardianship over me to another angel.” 

Sam frowned.  

“Cas gave it to another angel? Cas doesn’t keep contact with any angels. There is no way he would trust anyone enough to just give it over.” 

The other hunter just shrugged. 

“There is one angel he would give it to. And it wouldn’t be the first time Gabe faked his own death.” 

Slowly, Sam nodded. He agreed on that one. Gabriel had faked his death so many times before, that he had lost count of all the times they had killed him. 

“Alright. But what about the shift around me?” 

Nathaniel thought about it for a long moment. 

“I honestly don’t know. I thought that Castiel was your guardian. Why he would give it over to anyone, is a mystery to me.” 

Sam let his head fall back again. He didn’t understand it. There was no way Cas was his guardian angel. He doubted that he even had one. He was the boy with the demon blood. How could any angel want to keep an eye on him for any other reason than to make sure that he wouldn’t destroy the world? No. He didn’t have a guardian. Something must’ve been wrong. Maybe he had just felt the shift when Nathaniel’s guardianship had changed. But that wouldn’t make sense. Why hadn’t Nathaniel felt it earlier? The other hunter was frowning at him. Something was troubling the man. 

“Sam? Are you alright?” 

“What? Yeah. I’m alright. Just got lost in my thoughts.” 

For a moment they stared at each other, before Sam sighed. 

“I just find it hard to believe that I would have a guardian angel.” 

“Why?” 

Nathaniel was worried, but kept his voice calm. 

“I… No. It’s nothing.” 

The hunter took a deep breath. 

“Sam. It’s alright. You can tell me. I’m not going to judge you.” 

They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Sam started talking again. 

“I’m tainted. I’m just the boy with the demon blood.” 

Nathaniel frowned. 

“You have said that before. Who told you that, Sam? Who called you that?” 

Sam closed his eyes. He still remembered it. Remembered seeing Cas the first time. The awe he had been in. And the disappointing feeling when Cas had said those six words. 

“Sam.” 

Something in the hunter’s voice reminded Sam of Dean and he found himself speaking before he even realized it. 

“Cas said it the first time we met. He was right, of course. But it still hurt.” 

Nathaniel wanted to groan. He had heard so much good about Castiel from Gabe. And now this. He glanced over to Sam. This kid, and yes, he was thinking about Sam as a kid, even though he was older than him. This kid was very clearly in awe of the angels. And the fact that Castiel had so clearly chosen Dean over Sam. It was just wrong. He wished Gabriel was there with them. Right then, the door opened and the witch stepped inside. 

“I was wondering when you would wake up.” 

She turned to Nathaniel. 

“I’ve noticed that you have started training him. That’s good. Just make sure that he answers to me when you are done.” 

The hunter snorted. 

“Yeah, sure. You know what? You can go to hell.” 

The witch just smiled. 

“That’s not nice. Just ask Sam. He knows all about what’s going on down there.” 

Nathaniel just shrugged and glanced over to Sam. The other hunter smirked and the odd glint in his eyes unsettled Nathaniel. There was something wrong with it. Meanwhile, Sam had leaned forwards a bit. 

“Yeah. I’ve been down there. I’ve been tortured by the devil himself. So if you think that anything you do to me could make me break, you must be crazy.” 

The witch looked put off for a moment, before she walked over to Sam and crouched down in front of him. 

“No. I can’t do anything to make you break. But I know who can.” 

Moving faster than a snake, she put a hand to his temple and released her power. Sam threw himself backwards to get away from her. The witch smiled and stood up. 

“I’ll see you later, Sam.” 

And she left. Nathaniel looked at the other hunter with worry. 

“Sam?” 

The Winchester looked up and let his eyes sweep around the room. When he got to the opposite corner, his eyes widened and he suddenly looked very scared. Nathaniel looked to that corner but didn’t see anything. 

“Sam? What’s going on?” 

But the other hunter didn’t answer. He was trying to get away as fast as he could. The shackles stopped him so he started to pull at them. His wrist started to bleed and Nathaniel cursed under his breath. 

“Sam! Look at me!” 

He put as much order as he could into those words, remembering the way his father had said things like that. It seemed to do the trick, because Sam’s head turned towards him. 

“Look, I don’t know what you are seeing. But whatever it is, it’s not real. Do you understand that? It’s not real.” 

Sam glanced over to the corner and jumped, almost as if whatever he had seen had moved closer to him. Nathaniel cursed again and sent a prayer out to Gabriel. Then, after a second’s thought, he sent another one to Castiel. Then he concentrated on Sam again. The hunter was curled up, his hands still pulling at the shackles, but more weakly now. 

“Sam. Come on. Look at me. I’m real.” 

Sam looked over at him with tears in his eyes. 

“That’s what he’s saying about himself too.” 

“He?” 

Sam’s eyes widened and he turned back towards whatever he was seeing. Nathaniel suddenly realized what was going on. 

“Sam.” 

The hunter turned to him again. 

“Is it the devil? Are you seeing him?” 

Sam nodded slowly. 

“He’s not real. He’s in the cage, where you put him.” 

But Sam just shook his head. 

“No. We are still there.” 

He started turning towards the hallucination and Nathaniel started to talk again, just to make sure that the other man’s attention stayed on him. 

“If we are in the cage, explain one thing to me. How am I here? How did I get in here? You jumped into the cage with him and Michael. It closed behind you. How did I get inside?” 

That seemed to make Sam think. But then he jumped suddenly again and turned away from the hunter. He seemed to be listening to whatever the hallucination said. Then he let his head fall forwards and closed his eyes. Nathaniel sighed deeply and started to move closer to the man, but the flinch he saw when the chains sounded, made him freeze. He settled down again. He didn’t know what to do to help the man.


	12. Old Barn

Dean parked outside the pizzeria and sighed. He was worried. Mostly about Sam, but also about Bea. Those two were so much alike. His thoughts wandered off to when he and Sam were kids. He remembered when Sam was seven. Their father had a case at the fair and had taken them with him as a cover. It was before Sam had found out about hunting. He remembered their dad leaving them to look around, telling Dean to take care of Sammy. He remembered his little brother dragging him immediately towards the magicians. One of the women there, an older ‘witch’, had thought that it was too dangerous for them to be alone. She had invited them to their private rooms. There were a few magicians there that didn’t have to go out and do tricks, and they were all quickly taken by the fascination Sam was showing in what they could do. Dean remembered that they spent the entire day there. He was mostly reading comic books that he had borrowed, while Sam kept learning tricks and playing around with the dogs that one of the men had brought to them. John had been furious when he couldn’t find them at the end of the day. But that didn’t bother Dean. Sam was happy and that was all he cared about. Then he thought to a few years later. Sam was around 13 when they had a case involving witches. His dad had gone to ask the suspect while Dean and Sam were sent to a library to do research. Sam had been oddly excited about this hunt and even begged their dad to take him on the hunt itself. In the end, John had agreed. He remembered keeping an eye on Sam through the entire hunt, except for a short while when they had to fight the witches. Once they were done, their dad had looked around the entire house, but couldn’t find the witches book. And Dean could have sworn that he had seen that book in Sam’s possession a few weeks later. But, when he confronted Sam about that, his brother had denied taking the book and Dean never saw it again. Now he wondered if there was a connection. If maybe Sam had noticed some odd things happening to him and thought that it was magic. Maybe that was the reason why the kid had been so fascinated with it. But he didn’t remember any instances when something odd happened around Sam. Not anything natural at least. Sam had visions before, but that was because of Azazel. But then he realized something. Sam still had the visions, even if he didn’t talk about it anymore. Was it possible that he had those earlier too? Just not as serious as they had gotten later on. He sighed again. He would have to have a serious talk with his brother when they found him. He turned the Impala off and got out. Food. He went inside the pizzeria and smiled at the woman. 

“Hallo. What would you like to order?” 

Dean glanced over to the blackboard where the food was written on. 

“I’ll take one Pizza Pepperoni. One vegetarian and lactose free. And… Do you have anything sweet here?” 

The woman smiled at him. 

“Of course. I recommend our Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza.” 

Dean nodded. That should be sweet enough for Gabriel. 

“Alright. I’ll take that one.” 

He gave her the right credit card and, when she nodded and gave it back to him, went back towards the seats in the back of the pizzeria. He sat down heavily. He was more and more worried. His instincts told him to go out there and start looking for his brother, but he knew that he would be of no help. Cas was the one who had the biggest chance of finding him. He looked up when he heard the door open and close. A woman with long red hair and piercing green eyes was standing just inside the door and looking around. Her eyes stopped on him and he frowned when she started heading towards him. She slipped into the seat across from him and glanced around quickly before she leaned forwards. 

“You’re a hunter, right?” 

Although shocked, he nodded and turned his entire attention towards her. She glanced around nervously again. 

“I need your help.” 

He nodded, to show her that he was listening. He had to admit that he was a bit unnerved by the way she was glancing around, almost as if she was expecting someone to attack them. 

“My name is Kya. I’m a witch.” 

He reached for his gun, when she quickly shook her head. 

“No. Please, don’t. I know where your brother is. And that other man too. That other hunter.” 

He relaxed a bit. 

“Talk.” 

“I… I can’t talk too much. She’ll know. She has me bound. I can’t go against her. But, every time she concentrates on something else, I can get away for some time. So listen to me carefully because I don’t know how much time I have. She found out that I’m a witch and she bound me with her magic so that she would have total control over me and my magic. But it wasn’t enough for her. She decided that she was going to try to bind a natural to herself. We moved around, until we came across that hunter and his sister. But something went wrong and she got the man instead of the girl. Then you came along with your brother and she told me that she would try again.” 

Dean frowned. 

“Why are you telling me all of this?” 

She took a deep breath. 

“Because I don’t want to be held by her anymore. I know that you can kill her. And I want you to do that. Now listen closely. Just outside the city, there is a big barn. It looks abandoned, but it isn’t. In the right corner, there is an opening that leads to a big bunker under it. That’s where she’s keeping them. But you have to come alone. She will feel it if you come with the natural or the angel.” 

He was still mistrustful, but the chance to get to Sam was stronger than anything else. Suddenly, her face became pained and she stood up quickly. 

“I have to go. She’s calling. Good luck.” 

And she left quickly. Dean stood up too, and walked over to the woman who had taken his order before. 

“Excuse me. How can I get to the old barn outside the city?” 

She looked at him with surprise, before she answered slowly. 

“You take right out onto the main road and follow it to the church. Then you take left, then the first road left and after that the third right. Follow that road then and you’ll get there.” 

He nodded. 

“Thanks.” 

And he rushed out of there, ignoring her shouts about his food. He started the Impala and floored it. He had to get to Sammy. The thought about calling Cas crossed his mind, but he quickly threw it away. He couldn’t. That woman had been clear about that. He almost missed the small road that he had to drive onto but managed to make the turn. Five minutes later, he saw the barn. Turning off all the lights he drove to the side of the road and parked. He got out and quickly went to the trunk. Opening it, he looked around. The woods were dark, almost black. He grabbed a knife and cocked his gun, before he started walking towards the barn. It was an old thing. He was shocked that it was still standing. The door was slightly open and he slipped inside, without a sound. He was thankful for all the training his father had put him through. With the gun up, he creeped over to the corner but there was nothing there. He looked around and, not seeing anyone, he pulled out his phone and let it cast light around him. And that was when he noticed it. The outline of a trapdoor. He crouched down and looked at it with a frown. There was nothing to pull it up with. He knocked on it and jumped back with his gun at ready when it suddenly flew open. He quickly put the phone away when the light from the hole lit up the barn. After a few seconds in which nothing happened, he slowly made his way over to the opening. He was shocked when he noticed that there were stairs leading down into a well lit hall. Slowly, he made his way downstairs and looked around the hall. It wasn’t that big. Around twelve doors were lined up along the walls. He started walking down the hall and glanced into the openings of the doors. The first three led to bedrooms. One led to a library. One to a kitchen. But then he came across a door without any openings. Looking around, to make sure that he was still alone, he pulled out a lockpick and started working on the door. It took him a bit longer than it usually took Sam, but he got it open. With his gun raised, he pushed the door open and froze at the sight that welcomed him. Sam was curled up in a corner, his hands and feet shackled. His hands were on his head, almost as if he was protecting himself from an invisible attack. Dean was rushing towards him when he was suddenly stopped in his tracks by a raspy voice. 

“Stop! Don’t go near him!” 

He turned around towards the other corner. The man had black hair and brown eyes. Dean frowned. 

“Nate?” 

The man nodded and realization appeared on his face. 

“You’re Dean.” 

Before Dean could answer, the door behind him slammed shut and they heard the lock click shut. 


End file.
